domestic sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...
native to Canada, one of only a few livestock breeds native to the country.
History
The Rideau Arcott was produced from a breeding program that was created in 1966 by Agriculture Canada’s Animal Research Centre in Ottawa; other breeds that were produced from the same program include the Canadian Arcott and the Outaouais Arcott. The goal when creating the Rideau Arcott was to create a breed of sheep that produced multiple offspring rapidly. They introduced new technologies in
quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics deals with phenotypes that vary continuously (such as height or mass)—as opposed to discretely identifiable phenotypes and gene-products (such as eye-colour, or the presence of a particular biochemical).
Both branches u ...
, reproductive physiology,
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...
and housing that allowed them to select for the traits they wanted to be expressed in the breed. The research flock was closed in 1974, and the breed was distributed to shepherds beginning in 1988.
The Rideau name is a common one in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. The latter half of its name is an acronym for the Animal Research Centre in Ottawa.
One of only a few livestock breeds developed in Canada, the Rideau is a synthesis of many different breeds. The breed is genetically 40% Finnish Landrace, 20%
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
and 8%
Dorset Horn
The Dorset Horn is an endangered British breed of domestic sheep. It is documented from the seventeenth century, and is highly prolific, sometimes producing two lambing seasons per year. Among British sheep, it is the only breed capable of bre ...
; the remaining 9% is
Border Leicester
The Border Leicester is a British breed of domestic sheep, sheep.
It is a Polled livestock, polled, long-wool sheep and is considered a dual-purpose breed as it is reared both for meat and for wool. The sheep are large but docile. They have bee ...
,
North Country Cheviot
North Country Cheviot is a common breed of sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in e ...
, Romnelet and
Corriedale
The Corriedale is a New Zealand breed of sheep. It was bred from about 1882 in the South Island by James Little, who cross-bred Merino and Lincoln Longwool sheep. The breed was officially recognised in 1911. It has been exported to Australi ...
. The Rideau Arcott has been selectively bred for higher fertility, multiple births, milk production and growth rate.
Rideaus exhibit strong maternal traits, making them a popular choice for
crossbreeding
A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...
as they typically produce
twins
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
or triplets. Crossbreeding with Rideau
rams
In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)
Characteristics
The Rideau Arcott is a large sheep with a rapid growth rate. it is generally white, but some animals have slightly coloured legs. The face is white and free of wool, but a few dark patches sometimes occur. This breed is naturally polled but some rams may develop horny protuberances. Rams weigh up to and ewes range between . The breed is primarily kept for meat, but does also produce a medium-quality fleece.
This breed is very prolific. Lambing can occur at intervals of eight months and ewe lambs can be put to the tup at seven months to lamb for the first time at a year old. These ewe lambs have a lambing rate of 180 percent, and mature ewes produce 40 percent twins and 50 percent triplets.
See also
*
List of sheep breeds
This is a list of breeds of domestic sheep. Domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are partially derived from mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') stock, and have diverged sufficiently to be considered a different species.
Domestic sheep breeds
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